A playlist of amazing ideas

TED has a playlist of amazing new ideas Dan Pallotta: The way we think about charity is dead wrong Charity is low because it's discriminated compared to for-profit enterprises Allan Savory: How to fight desertification and reverse climate change Desertification can be fought by moving large herds over the deserted areas. Barry Schwartz: The paradox of choice Too many choices produce paralysis and worst satisfaction. Hans Rosling: Let my dataset change your mindset The world has advanced significantly in the last 60 years, except the bottom billion. Terry Moore: How to tie your shoes Emily Oster flips our thinking on AIDS in Africa Low life expectancy leads to riskier behaviour, education is not enough. Bjorn Lomborg: Global priorities bigger than climate change How do we prioritize the global problems? Most effient: Malaria, Free trade(cut subsidies), Malnutrition(Micro-nutrients),Control HIV Sean Carroll: Distant time and the hint of a multiverse The entropy which make the universe is just a random fluctuation in the multiverse.

Yet another hit against counter-causal free will

Parasites probably have behavioural influence on humans.

http://style.uk.msn.com/health/zombie-nation-the-outside-forces-controlling-human-brains

The Happiness Project

This is a book about trying to improve the happiness in ones life. The approach of making this into a project makes it very personal. Being personal it doesn't translate to what makes other people happy. I found some advice that I would like to apply to my life: "Exercise better", "Blog more", "Enjoy now", "Acknowledge children's feelings", "Make new friends", "Be more grateful", "Pursue a passion", "Be mindful", but also a lot of advice which didn't appeal to me. The idea that stuck with me most is making a plan to change or improve your life and then, most importantly, following through. While increasing my happiness is not something I'm concerned about, there are other changes I would like to make. So I'll make a plan of small easy steps and put it into action.

Charity is kept low by discrimination

Activist and fundraiser Dan Pallotta calls out the double standard that drives our broken relationship to charities. Too many nonprofits, he says, are rewarded for how little they spend -- not for what they get done. Instead of equating frugality with morality, he asks us to start rewarding charities for their big goals and big accomplishments (even if that comes with big expenses). In this bold talk, he says: Let's change the way we think about changing the world.

http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pallotta_the_way_we_think_about_charity_is_dead_wrong.html